Democrats Furious Over Mundane Radio Jokes

REVERSE BOTCHED JOKE

Dems Don't See The Humor In Election Day Funnies







Controversies over relatively mundane jokes have some Democrats furious in two states tonight. The resulting flaps provide early clues regarding widely-expected crackdowns on free speech should their party take full control of the government tonight.

First, in Texas, a Waco station is under fire over a restaurant ad that jokingly encouraged Democrats to vote on Wednesday, rather than today. From the Waco Tribune:

Waco radio station pulls controversial political portion of restaurant ad

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

By Erin Quinn

Tribune-Herald staff writer

An advertisement on a Waco talk radio station that told listeners to vote today for Republicans and Wednesday for Democrats has been changed, said the station’s manager, who added that “some people just can’t take a joke.”

Jerry Lenamon, station manager at KBCT-FM (94.5), said one of his staffers designed the ad for Donald Citrano’s Coffee Shop Cafe in McGregor.

“It was meant to be funny,” Lenamon said. “Who would be so stupid to believe something like that?”

Citrano said he heard the ad the first day it ran last week and called the station to have that part of the ad pulled. The station obliged, he said, and the ad that has run since has not included the controversial addition. Lenamon confirmed that the ad was changed.

The radio station airs such conservative talk radio shows as Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Bill O’Reilly.

Waco resident Robert Denton, 57, said he was appalled when he heard the ad.

“Between education problems and language problems, someone could easily hear this ad and think they had an extra day to vote,” Denton said. “Voting can be complicated enough as it is.”

Meanwhile, the same stale joke has two Massachusetts morning sports hosts in hot water. From the Boston Herald:

WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan warned

WEEI-AM (850) sports duo John Dennis and Gerry Callahan have been scolded for telling listeners this morning that the election had been postponed and Democrats should cast their votes tomorrow.

This just in from the AP:


BOSTON (AP) - A spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin said he warned two radio show hosts to “knock it off” after they told listeners the election had been postponed and Democrats should vote Wednesday

Brian McNiff said in his e-mail to Gerry Callahan and John Dennis of WEEI-AM that they were doing a disservice to voters. The hosts prefer Republican John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama.

He cited state law against interfering in elections.

McNiff said his agency’s election division got several complaints about the comments, which were made during the Dennis & Callahan morning show Tuesday. One listener said his father-in-law believed the elections were postponed, and called him because he was so upset.

Calls to Dennis, Callahan and the station’s programming director were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Does Galvin, a Democrat, really believe this has caused bona fide voter confusion? If you really believe Democrats are to vote tomorrow, you're too stupid to cast a ballot anyway.


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